From the author of the Lunar Chronicles series comes a story about the Queen of Hearts before she became the Queen of Hearts. Catherine wants to open a bakery with her best friend and marry the new court jester, but her parents are insistent that she pursue the King who has shown great interest in her. She does not want to disappoint them in any way, but she feels strongly about her desire to create pastries for a living and despite never having worked for a living she feels she could be successful at it. Her best friend and maid is good with numbers and they hope to someday use Cath’s dowry to open their dream bakery. Cath realizes she has had a privileged life, but also has never stopped dreaming and hopes she never has to. When the new court jester comes to court she is instantly dazzled by his tricks and ability to show her amazing things she could never have imagined. She hopes she has the courage to give up everything she has ever known in order to pursue her dreams, but she has no idea the many obstacles that lay before her.

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles series will enjoy this fun title. Cath’s character is well developed and easy to identify with. Jest is mysterious, magical, and brave in a way that makes it easy to see how Cath would become enamored with him. The king, by contrast, is silly, weak, and refuses to deal with the new beast who has begun terrorizing the kingdom. The world captures a lot of the magic from Alice and Wonderland but adds new modern twists as well.

Alex Patrick is date-raped after a night of drinking and partying. She wakes up with no recollection of the night before, but quickly realizes how serious her situation is. Her friends coax the news out of her and convince her that if she was not conscious she could not have consented, but Alex is reluctant to go to police or the boarding school administration because they have failed students on serious issues in the past. She decides to seek the help of the student run justice system called “The Mockingbirds.” They agree to try the case and things get complicated when the accused vehemently denies any wrongdoing and proceeds to spread vicious rumors about her. Alex begins to wonder if she somehow led him on or was at fault in some way. Does she have the strength to stand up for herself?

This book discusses a very serious issue in an open and honest way. Alex’s flashbacks to that night help slowly piece together what happened and shed light on her mixed feelings regarding pressing charges. Her friends and supporters help her overcome obstacles, such as eating in the cafeteria again, and slowly she begins to find the strength she needs. The book is very frank about the nature of the crime and might be upsetting to some students, but it contains an important message and the student justice system is entertaining.